Monthly Archives: June 2015

Brain, please pick up the white courtesy phone

It’s late afternoon on Sunday of the Nebula Awards@ weekend, and I’m in that familiar fuzzy state.  Hello brain, are you there?  It’s me, Karl.

First off, I want to thank the tireless efforts of all the staff and volunteers who made this weekend run very smoothly.  Second, congratulations to all the winners and nominees.  So many good stories that represent the best of the field, and nary a whiff of unwashed puppies among them.

I commend the choice of Nick Offerman, who, as toastmaster/emcee, channeled some seriously funny and foul-mouthed riffs.  Who knew the guy could write and sing?  And was a huge SF nut?  Next year will be fun as well, I suspect.  The emcee hasn’t been announced, but I heard good things this morning….

Attending this sorts of gathering is always a bit of a challenge.  As much as I love SF, I have to work against my natural inclination to cling to the shadows in the presence of Very Important People.  Just look at what they’ve done!  What amazing books!  Such insightful criticisms!  And here I am, sweating to put words on the screen. So I screw my courage to the sticking place, ask for an autograph, or raise my hand in a panel, or take the last seat at the dinner table.

And I lived through it.  And managed to have reasonably articulate conversations. Wow.

When you listen to the officers at SFWA, the core message is pretty simple: We’re all in this boat together. We are artists, and affiliates, and consumers. We all depend on each other.

On a personal note, I am always so impressed and delighted at the courtesy and respect that the seasoned pros show to the fans and the other writers.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a Grand Master, or just had your first pro sale.  You’re part of the big SF family. Welcome.